Adjustable toilet seat inner bowl and seat



Oct. 30, 1962 E. E. BURKE ADJUSTABLE TOILET SEAT INNER BOWL AND SEAT Filed June 30, 1960 I FIG.

l6 :rrwl :"Yl.

/4 M 4 I 4 i 40 l l2 Z8 3 38 ll United States Patent 3,060,458 ADJUSTABLE TUILET SEAT INNER BOWL AND SEAT Emil E. Burke, Box 97, Mass 4, Mich. Filed June 30, 1968, Ser. No. 39,866 1 Claim. (Cl. 4-237) This invention relates to plumbing fixtures and more particularly to a toilet bowl assembly.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a toilet bowl having an adjustable seat that can be conveniently adjusted as to height for use by persons of all age groups.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable toilet seat inner bowl and seat assembly in which the seat is vertically adjustable with respect to the bowl in response to actuation of the power operated mechanism.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an adjustable toilet seat inner bowl and seat bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufact-ure and eflicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of an adjustable toilet seat inner bowl and seat assembly made in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in FIGURE 1, taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, taken along the lines 3--3 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, an adjustable toilet seat inner bowl and seat assembly made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a bowl 12 of generally conventional construction having an inner receptacle 14. A seat member 18 having a depending skirt 16 slidably received within the receptacle 14 of the bowl '12. is vertically adjustable therewithin. A cover 20 hingedly mounted upon the seat 18, may be used to close the opening into the seat when the assembly is not in use.

Secured, such as by screws 24 to the under surface of the opposite side of the seat 18, are mounting flanges 22 of a pair of vertically disposed piston rods 26, each having a piston 30 secured to its lower free end that is slidably received within the interior bore of individual cylinders 28. A fluid pressure supply line 34 communicates with the lower end of each of the cylinders 28 for supplying pressure fluid thereto from an electrically driven pump 36 mounted upon a mounting frame 32 upon which the lower ends of the cylinders 28 are also supported.

ice

The pump 36 is provided with a first switch 38 for effecting elevation of the seat 18 by supplying fluid under pressure to the interior of the cylinders 28 through the supply line '54, and a second switch 48 mounted upon the top of the housing 36 for allowing the return flow of fluid from the cylinders 28 to the sump of the pump for allowing the seat 18 to descend to a lowered position.

It will now be recognized that when the seat 18 is in the lowered position shown in FIGURE 3, a small child will have no difiiculty in mounting the toilet seat. However, by simply actuating the front control lever 38, the cylinders 28 may be pressurized to elevate the seat 18 to any desired height for use by other persons. It will also be recognized that this device is readily adaptable for use with conventional toilet bowls, simply by adding the mounting frame 32, cylinders 28, and special purpose seat 18 with the depending skirt 16.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

An adjustable toilet bowl and seat assembly comprising in combination a bowl having a base, a toilet seat having a guide assembly received within said base for selective vertical movement relative thereto, hydraulic means for adjusting the vertical position of said seat relative to said bowl, foot operated means for controlling said hydraulic means, said toilet seat comprising an annular member, said guide including an annular skirt depending from one lower side of said seat for slidable engagement with said bowl, said hydraulic means comprisa pair of fluid pressure cylinders mounted upon the opposite sides of said bowl, said seat including a pair of depending piston rods slidably received within said cylinders, a fluid pressure pump having a conduit in communication with the lowermost ends of said cylinders for controlling the vertical position of said pistons therein and said foot operated means comprising a pair of switches mounted upon said pump, one of said switches controlling the energization of said pump for elevation of said seat and the other one of said switches allowing the exhaust of pressure fluid from the interior of said cylinders to allow said pistons to move downwardly within said cylinders to lower said seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,246,278 King Nov. 13, 1917 2,752,986 Kastner July 3, 1956 2,779,949 Crispen Feb. 5, 1957 2,790,182 Malin Apr. 30, 1957 2,849,728 Gyllenberg Sept. 2, 1958 

